Review of Mixed-Methods Research in Nursing

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Methodology

Background:

• Mixed-methods research in nursing faces challenges in justification and data integration, impacting study rigor.
• Nurse researchers often struggle with the complexities of combining qualitative and quantitative data effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the 5-year prevalence of mixed-methods research in nursing journals.
• To assess the extent of integration between qualitative and quantitative findings in published nursing studies.

Main Methods:

• A 5-year hand-search of ten nursing journals and three databases.
• Methodological assessment of mixed-methods studies by three independent reviewers using a standardized checklist.

Main Results:

• Mixed-methods studies constituted 1.89% of publications over five years.
• Significant methodological weaknesses were found, including lack of design justification (31%) and paradigm identification (95%).
• While 73% of studies reported data integration, 83% used narrative summaries, with limited use of advanced methods like joint displays or triangulation.

Conclusions:

• Mixed-methods research in nursing is nascent, with prevalent methodological limitations.
• Advanced data integration methods are needed to improve the quality and rigor of nursing research.
• Further education and support for nurse researchers on mixed-methods design and analysis are crucial.